Blackball (2003)

So much average

Funny, strange, confrontational and subversive, this is one of the most interesting experiences you'll have at the cinema this year.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

Lovely film, just saw it on Netflix. Paul Kaye is a much underrated comedic actor. Great cameos. Not a contentious bone in its body. I particularly like the way it captures summer in a slightly grainy and slightly gray way. Exactly like a British summer. It goes through the usual plot contrivances you'd expect from what is essentially a sports film, with a sense of gentle satire. The villain of the piece is well cast, too. It feels like it was made around 20 years before it was, but that's not a bad thing. Don't expect it to rock your world, however. It's a very British comedy with swearing.

I had expected a fun, simple sports comedy when I saw this. Instead I got a lazy, unfunny, god awful piece of film. Blackball makes a lot of assumptions of it audience, going beyond 'suspension of disbelief' to simply not trying. The love interest effectively appears out of nowhere, falling for the 'hero' at first sight, as he yells at her teenage pupils! The villain is bog-standard 'snob' to the hero's 'slob' but thats what a sport's comedy is, so not a problem. The problem is the young, wild bowler is unlikeable as they come. He's effectively every Adam Sandler character thrown into one but without the redeeming qualities. His relationship with the love interest effectively consists of him being obnoxious and her swooning. It as if the writer took bullet point notes of what a sports comedy is, but forgot why those key points work. At one point there's an 'emotional' moment of victory, barely 15 minutes in, the hero having only had crushing victories. At the halfway mark, apparently the success goes to his head, alienating his loved ones etc. but his personality and actions don't change, he is as irritating and self-centred as ever! There's simply no reason to care. The hero's 'badboy' persona is so overblown and garish, it strikes as a cynical and again LAZY effort. There's a scene where his slick PR agent attempts to win him over through various insincere threats and niceties, while he remains unmoved. That is the definition of this film.Lazy. This film's only value is as an example of how-not-to.

Run of the mill sports comedy film. You've seen the plot before a thousand times, mega talented but unruly sportsman gets a crack at the big-time and a dull rom-com love interest sub-plot fills the gaps. The film has no build up or background it's just, bang, straight into the story from the first shot which seemed very odd. The main character played by Paul Kay is arrogant and annoying when, as he is the underdog, he really he should be endearing, this distroys the whole point of the film. But my main gripe is that film simply isn't funny, I barely raised a chuckle throughout the entire film. The film is a complete turkey. Even the brilliant Jonny Vegas couldn't save it. Avoid.

I hired this film from my local library having run out of decent films to watch and absolutely loved it! Yes, it's stupid, no, we don't know what she sees in him, of course bowls is the most boring game in the world. However the one liners (I'm sorry but the moment before the matrix mention is inspired) the marching band and the leopard print bra speak for themselves. The amazing talent that kept popping up was fabulous and the tension build at the end incredible (especially given the subject). It's a fantastic feel-good movie with romance, champagne, porn, cheerleaders, decorators, rebels and, of course, bowls. I'm going to go and watch it again whilst you all sulk!